Earth's magnetic field shields the planet from high energy particles, such as high energy protons and high energy ions, thereby limiting exposure to extraterrestrial high energy particles on the surface of the Earth. However, objects and persons in space lack the protection of Earth's magnetic field and, therefore, are regularly bombarded with, and potentially damaged by, high energy particles.
Active electronic devices, such as integrated circuits, may include a relatively thin metallization layer positioned over a relatively thick layer of silicon. When high energy particles pass through the silicon layer of such devices, they form ionization tracks that induce the flow of electrons that may cause damage. Depending on the design of an active electronic device, the effects of high energy particles may range from minor electrical interference to catastrophic failure. Active electronic devices deployed in space vehicles are particularly susceptible to high energy particles.
Thus, prior to deploying active electronic devices in space and other harsh environments, it is common to determine the susceptibility of such devices to damage from high energy particles using particle accelerators. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of particle accelerators available to the public and, therefore, access is limited and access time is expensive. Furthermore, it is time-consuming and expensive to change the beam configuration of a particle accelerator, thereby further increasing costs and limiting the number of experiments that can reasonably be performed in a given period of time.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue to seek alternatives to particle accelerators for determining ionization susceptibility of electronic devices.